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GIS-Based Preliminary Feasibility Study for the Optimal Route Selection for China-India Railway Through Nepal

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Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography ISSN 1598-4850(Print) Vol. 35, No. 4, 281-290, 2017 ISSN 2288-260X(Online) https://doi.org/10.7848/ksgpc.2017.35.4.281 Original article GIS-based Preliminary Feasibility Study for the Optimal Route Selection for China-India Railway through Nepal Acharya, Tri Dev1)·Yang, In Tae2)·Lee, Dong Ha3) Abstract Transportation plays a vital role in sustainable development, and moreover, bulk transportation provides cost effective movement of goods and human beings with less environmental issues. Nepal is a developing country with increasing urbanization and transportation demands. The growing interest of China to connect with Southeast Asia through Nepal has led to ambitious project proposal of Rasuwa Gadhi to Birgunj Railways, which is the shortest route from China to India. Lack of updated geospatial data has lead the concerned authorities in Nepal to be dependent on analysis and proposals from donor nations. Taking such considerations, based on GIS and free data, this study explores optimal routes to connect cites using slope and land cover. Based on reclassified slope, two shortest optimal routes were found. One passing through Baireni in Dhading and another through Kathmandu towards Birgunj with length of around 172 Kilometers. The study shows that available open source data can be used of preliminary feasibility studies and yet shows limitations for detailed economy based planning. Development and use of high resolution updated geospatial data is of high necessity for Nepal to become self-sustained in planning of development works. Keywords : GIS, Optimal Route, Least Cost Path, Rasuwa Gadhi, Birgunj, Railway, Nepal 1. Introduction Hills and Himalayas in North and the rest is lowlands in the South. Here two wheeler motorbikes are very common Transportation plays an important role in the modern means of personal transportation whereas van, microbuses world. Effective transportation network is a basic need for and buses are common for inter and intra-city transportation. sustainable development that helps to carry goods as well as With gradual increase in population in the capital, the long helps us to commute from one place to another in a short distance commute and transfer of goods has been much period of time via land, water and airways. High speed demanding. Using small vehicles for this purpose leads to bulk transportation such as railways redefines the standard traffic congestion as well as environmental issues (Yang et in terms of distance and journey time. They strengthen al., 2014). Hence, railways can be very crucial means of bulk national economy and help in environmental issues. In many transport for Nepal to connect both neighboring countries developed countries, railways have changed commuters’ as well as meet the demand of such growing population and habits in large cities. development. Currently, Nepal has 53 Kms (Kilometers) Geographically, Nepal is a landlocked country bounded of rail track, out of which the narrow gauge trains are between China and India which has more than 80% of operational only in the 32 Kms Janakpur-Jayanagar route Received 2017. 07. 31, Revised 2017. 08. 15, Accepted 2017. 08. 31 1) Member, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Kangwon National Univ., Korea (E-mail: [email protected]) 2) Member, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Kangwon National Univ., Korea (E-mail: [email protected]) 3) Corresponding Author, Member, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Kangwon National Univ., Korea (E-mail: [email protected]) This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 281 Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography, Vol. 35, No. 4, 281-290, 2017 in flatlands of Terai. With the intent of providing the bulk to Purang (Burang), near the tri-junction Nepal-Tibet-India railway transportation, DoR (Department of Railways) has and Yatung (Yadong) in the Chumbi Valley adjacent to forwarded the proposal for the construction of MM (Mechi- Sikkim (Fig. 1). It is an important route in OBOR (One Belt Mahakali), KP (Kathmandu-Pokhara) and KB (Kathmandu- One Road) initiative, which is an ambitious plan of China Birgunj), KR (Kathmandu- Rasuwa Gadhi) Electric Railway to connect its western region to Asia, Europe and African Line (Acharya et al., 2017). Among these, feasibility study on regions through air, water and land ways. As per the request MM and KP has already been completed whereas proposals from Nepal, China has already agreed upon to investment has been called for KB and KR. The government has kept and to extend support in mega projects in Nepal, which will the construction of the MM Railway in high priority and as boost economic, cultural and religious communication. For national pride considering the inevitability of the reliable this, Chinese government has announced plans to extend the development of roadway and railway for attaining long-term Qinghai-Tibet Railway to Rasuwa Gadhi in Nepal through socio-economic prosperity in the country. the Shigatse-Kyirong stretch by 2020. Rasuwagadi can be an entry of Chinese market to Southeast Asia. The line is significant as transportation for passenger and freight trains will be cheaper, secured, less time consuming and environment friendly. Although these are very ambitious and expensive projects, it will pay in long run. New routes that are proposed, should be made such that they satisfy the constructions possibility, cost and current as well as future demands. Effective route selection process is very important for minimizing the cost. In planning a suitable road network, planners put into consideration factors Fig. 1. Routes for Qinghai railways to Indian and Nepalese like gradients or slope of the area, available land-use and soil border in Tibet (Jia and Liqiang, 2016) type, community or national landmarks and governmental China has shown a continuous interest in linking itself to interest. This is where technologies such as GIS (Geographic Southeast Asia through roads and bridges in Nepal. China Information System) help in greater deal. GIS is a system has already built necessary infrastructures on its side at of storing, retrieving and presenting both spatial and non- Kyirong. Blacktopped road up to the Nepal border from its spatial data in an efficient, quick, and structured way. It is national highway linking Tingri, Lhatse and Shigatse has considered as an important and useful tool in the field of already been constructed. Huge investment has been done transportation engineering and providing the capability to build necessary infrastructures to open the Rasuwa to perform transportation analyses. In design process, Gadhi-Kyirong border point for international trade along GIS helps minimize the impact on environment by proper both sides, such as construction of customs office, roads and selection of route, a critical first step in the process of design bridges linking both sides and renovation to improve roads and construction, which has a significant potential to impact on Nepalese side. With the Tatopani-Khasa route remaining the construction and environmental aspects of the area. closed since the massive earthquakes of 2015, traders have Based on the input conditions, GIS has been used in many been using Rashuwagadi-Kyirong route for trade with China multi-criteria geospatial decision support systems to solve leading to proper establishment of immigration offices on various problems in transportation such as suitable route both sides. Apart from the roadways, railways has been a construction, fast traffic routing, safe driving path selection big priority for Chinese government and a very necessity to etc. (Effat and Hassan, 2013; Stefanakis and Kavouras, 1995). Nepalese side. China wants to build three extensions to the Among the available GIS-based techniques, LCP (Least Cost Qinghai-Tibet Railway by 2030 and continuing its journey Path) is particularly useful to this purpose. Many researchers 282 GIS-based Preliminary Feasibility Study for the Optimal Route Selection for China-India Railway through Nepal have used LCP analysis, which allows them to find the 2. Study Area “cheapest” way to connect two locations within a cost surface that can be computed by combining multiple criteria, and The study area was selected based on the most feasible and therefore by accounting for different issues (environmental shortest route between China and India through Kathmandu, impact, economic investment, etc.) (Collischonn and Pilar, the capital of Nepal. The proposed mega projects for railways 2000; Douglas, 1994). Usually, geotechnical, geometrical, in Nepal will be connecting Kathmandu to Chinese border social and economic factors are used for the multi-criteria in two ports Rasuwa Gadhi and Kodari, Indian border in evaluation in selecting route (Farkas, 2009). Birgunj, major city Pokhara and a Buddhist pilgrimage site, Despite the fact that Nepal can provide the shortest land Lumbini. The current situation of transportation link in the route between the two economic giants of the world, Nepal area is using Roadways as shown in Fig. 2. lack the transportation infrastructures to rip the benefits due In order to connect China to India, Kodari to Birgunj is to its difficult geography and poor economy. Currently, the the shortest and widely used main trade route before massive 265 Kms long road linking Rasuwa-Trishuli-Raxaul is the earthquake. But after series of disasters such as massive shortest land route between China and India and is very risky landslide on August, 2014 (Acharya et al., 2016) and massive to travel. The developing nation could not itself construct the earthquake on April, 2015 in Araniko Highway (Kodari infrastructure and rather depends on foreign aids. One of the to Kathmandu), the route needs extensive reconstruction main reason is lack of updated geospatial data. The latest (Yang et al., 2016).
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